Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  Red-Headed Head Turner with Attitude - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By James Green - August 25 - 8:08 pm

  I bought a used 2010 SRT-8 Manual 6-speed from Carmax. I have always driven manual transmission cars, but my last car was a BMW 7 series automatic. Due to a unique window in our family cycle, this was the perfect time for a mid-life crisis. Managed to convince the wife about how practical a 2-door muscle car would be for our family with two young kids, ages 11 and 7. Due to several years of not driving a manual I was a little mainly concerned about two things with this car - 1. That it did not have a hand-brake, and 2. That it did not have parking sensors or camera and some reviewers had talked about blind spots. Well, lo and behold, within a few days of buying the car, I was very comfortable with this car. The brake assist feature in this car is a BLESSING, given that it does not have a hand-brake. I have been used to driving manual cars with a hand brake so that when you are on an incline, you can engage the hand brake and release it as you gradually accelerate. With the SRT-8, it has a foot brake and there is no way to release that gradually. Well, the brake assist feature holds the brakes when you are on an incline or decline, which gives you ample time to move your right foot off the brake to the accelerator. The car stays perfectly stationary while you switch pedals. That feeling inspires confidence, as I encounter many garages where the incline is easily 10 to 15 degrees. The second good thing was that the blind spots are not a big deal. I have as good visibility as with my previous BMW, however, as a driver you always have to remember your blind spots. Overall, this car has been driving perfectly and I only had a minor issue with a seat motor, which was replaced by Carmax under their extended warranty. I have put about 5,000 trouble free miles and car has not missed a beat. I had SO MANY issues with my prior BMW as that car was loaded with technical doo-hickeys that were so sensitive that at times when I really accelerated, the BMW would almost choke and start showing engine failure messages and what not. With the SRT-8, I can peel off and the engine just delivers to your commands. The car is very drivable in the city, and the maneuverability is excellent. I think it turns better than my wifes Mazda 6. The keyless start, touchscreen radio, etc are great convenience features. I get a lot of compliments from people, which I never did when I drove my BMW. The best part is drifting while turning corners. By the way, it took me some time to note the message engraved on the drivers side mirror - Objects in the window are losing. That is a true statement. It is lonely at the top....

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  Will drive it until death ... me, not the Dodge ) - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By the Reeces - August 25 - 7:27 pm

  Fuel mileage is what youd expect out of an SUV - but still better than our conversion van and pickup. The drivers seat is electronically adjustable and IMO the most comfortable seat in it. We have 8 children, and are daily lifting, folding, readjusting the seats - and it still performs like a beast. West Virginia treacherous mountains, muddy rut filled roads and deep snows - never a problem...except sometimes my driving LOL LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Durango. Its body will never go out of style. Like any vehicle, there will be maintenance. Old things wear out, and have to be tended to or occasionally replaced. I plant to drive this thing until death - mine, not hers. Im convinced she will live forever.

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  Awesome truck - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By Dave - August 25 - 12:47 pm

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  Do not know what all the complaining is about? - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By Thomas H - August 24 - 1:53 pm

  I love this car. I am a life long GM guy and this puts the Chevy Equinox to shame. The car size is just right, not too big, not too small. This car is fantastic in the Winter. I love the auto heated seats and steering wheel, also the awd. The seats are very comfortable, the radio nav screen is nice and big. The rear air and heat are awsome along with the 3rd row. The 1 big thing it needs is daytime running lites for extra safety.

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  A Worthy Commuter Car - 2014 Dodge Dart
  By Jordan Bockelman - August 19 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my 2014 GT (pitch black with hyper black wheels, automatic transmission,) new in April of 2014 and over a year and 17000 miles later I have very few, very minor complaints. Overall its a great car and gets me to work on time with good MPG. Outward visibility is good, but as with most new cars the A and C pillars are quite thick and hard to see around. Thankfully my car has blind spot monitoring which has helped me more than once! The whole infotainment system works exceptionally well. All the menus are extremely easy to navigate and operate, but the touch sensitivity should be adjustable. More than once Ive found myself tapping the same button multiple times trying to get it to register. Navigation, radio controls, climate controls, theyre all very user friendly. There are two features that I found annoying. The rain sensing windshield wipers dont work very well. They tend not to be very intuitive and I ended up disabling it. The other feature I dislike is the rear parking sensors. They work very well, but I disabled them because while backing out of my garage they would go insane. Not a fun thing first thing in the morning. Interestingly even after the sensors have been turned off, they still sometimes sporadically work. Sometimes while backing out of a steep driveway the sensors will go off at random. Sometimes theyll sense something extremely far away, something it wouldnt sense if the sensors were turned on. And sometimes they do nothing at all. The other complaint I have is the ride quality. I didnt really know what I was getting myself into when I bought the GT. It rides like a rock in a washer, but thats what its supposed to do. It corners really well and rides fairly quietly, but due to the terrible roads in my town, the car takes a bit of a beating and I feel most of it too. As a result the plastic panel above the rear view mirror rattles against the windshield and tends to drive me nuts.

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  Sinister SRT 392 packs a vicious punch - 2015 Dodge Challenger
  By Mike V - August 16 - 12:37 am

  Well where do I start. Hmm oh yeah the 6.4 Liter Hemi is a beast. Have put down consistent mid 4 second zero to 60 times with no effort whatsoever with a best so far of 4.2 seconds. Took it to Route 66 dragway and have turned mid 12s all day long at an average of 111 mph. Nothing has even come close to beating me on the street and most dont even try. I opted for the Redline Red Tricoat paint job and it literally can look like three different colors depending on the lighting from fire engine red in the sunlight to Candy apple in the shade, absolutely wicked! I nearly settled for a Scat pack but Im really glad I went with the SRT. For about 5 grand more you get 6 piston red Brembo calipers up front and red for piston Brembos out back that clamp this hefty muscle car down from any speed with ease. Im averaging 17.5 miles per gallon at excessive highway speed along with aggressive of highway driving. This thing comes standard with a rocking 18 speaker Harmon Kardon 900 Watt sound system that has some serious bass provided via 2 perfectly placed subwoofers where the spare tire should typically reside. But I barely ever turn it up because of the absolutely sick sounding soundtrack provided by the 2 tailpipes pumping out the best sounding V8 music Ive ever heard and its utterly addicting. Put the fun pedal to the floor and those babies open up like I put a $2000 exhaust system on it. Ive never experienced a vehicle from the factory with the raw power, sound, ride quality the list goes on and on. Especially for $50K its an unbeatable vehicle in every way. The SRT drive mode selectors are truly amazing that gives this monster the ability to drive like 3 different vehicles and you can mix up the ride pretty much any way you like. I usually go with full traction control along with track transmission which doesnt allow the 4 cylinder shutdown to occur and offers lighting quick shifts. Then stiffen up the suspension and steering a bit and have a blast anywhere I need to go. Theres a never ending list of cool technology and excellent safety features this vehicle offers I could go on all day. Ive owned Camaro Ive owned Mustang and they dont even come close to competing with the 392. 100 percent satisfied with my purchase and plan on keeping this beast for a long time.

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  More midsized than compact!! - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Mike - August 11 - 6:09 pm

  16k on mine with zero problems!! only compliant is carpet is of low quality and a bit tuff to vacuum otherwise interior looks and still smells new!! gas mileage has been 25-27 combined and 34 hwy doing 80mph! No rattles and still drives like its new!! GT is horrible to drive in snow but Im sure factory Yokohamas are to blame!!

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  Unleash the HELLCAT! - 2015 Dodge Challenger
  By Nate Huskins - August 10 - 3:47 pm

  These cars were a blast! With the 6.2L V8 there is definitely no shortage of power. Check out this video that we made with ours! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dClhLaJjFTQ Needless to say, we recommend getting a couple extra sets of tires with this car.

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  Best All-Round 3-Row SUV in the world! - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Glenn Harper - August 10 - 3:08 pm

  Firstly, Im a car guy. Before I buy a car, I do three things: research, research, and research! This past spring I had a need to reduce our fleet from 3 to 2 vehicles (getting rid of an old SUV and my "toy" hot rod for a NEW SUV) so I began researching in earnest. I wanted a 3-row, mid-size SUV with a V8 & 4WD that could give me decent mileage, carry cargo with ease and up to 6 people in comfort. Also, since I was getting rid of my hot rod, I wanted at least SOME semblance or sportiness and power as well as a nice looking vehicle that would always make me turn back for a last look as Im walking in from a parking lot. My old SUV and hot rod were both Dodges so I specifically ignored the Durango at first, fearing my pro-MOPAR bias would color my judgement. I made my list of requirements and started looking. To make a long story short, I researched Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Audi, BMW and, yes, even Mercedes. The Japanese dont offer V8s (except for the Nissan Armada which was otherwise terrible), the Europeans had contenders...but only if I wanted to spend $15-$50k more than Id planned, and the other American makers only had vehicles that met my requirements if I went up to FULL size SUVs and even then their mass make them very slow and unsporty. So I finally came back to look at the Durango. It checked off EVERY item on my list except for price - it was about $5,000 more than I was wanting to spend, but after going for a test drive, I see where that $5k went. The Durango is darn near in the luxury SUV class with all the amazing bells & whistles as well as top notch safety features. The interior is AMAZING and not something I would ever have thought Dodge could produce. Bottom line: I went out and ordered my Durango R/T immediately. I took delivery back in May and, after 3000+ miles, it has been nothing short of a dream of a vehicle and pure joy to drive.

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  Love - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By Taylor - August 5 - 8:44 pm

  I love my Dodge Stratus. I have owned my stratus for 3 years now. Not that it really matters, but mine is white. I purchased it with 150k miles and have put 30.5k on it in my time driving it. It drives very smooth, and handles nicely. My interior is all black, only cloth, but still very nice. I am very particular about keeping it clean so mine is spotless. It always feels comfortable. The only issue I have with my stratus is that it accelerates slowly. Other than that, this car has been perfect for me. I do not look forward to the fact that mine has so many miles, Im worried itll start to go out soon. This worries me because I dont want to have to get another car, because I love mine!